Small palafox is a very showy annual that will persist in dry, sunny beds. The flowers bloom pink and then fade to nearly white, forming a cloudy mass of pinkish hues. Butterflies are particularly fond.

Many years ago, a native plant enthusiast in the area may have sown some seed along a roadside. Seasonal mowing by the highway department helped spread the seed far and wide. Decades later, huge swaths of small palafox can be seen blooming along miles of mid-Missouri highways. Among other things, this demonstrates that the plant tolerates heavy pruning.